Some coin dispensing apparatuses are known In prior art. For example, Japanese Laid Open Patent Number 11-96426 and 11-86066 which were in the name of the assignee of the present application.
In Japanese Laid Open Patent 11-96426, the coin dispensing apparatus is adaptable to the coin thickness. The apparatus includes a base plate on which the coin slides, a disk which dispenses the coins one by one, a rotating shaft which rotates the disk, a lifter where the rotating shaft penetrates rotatably and can move towards and away from the base plate, an operating body which adjusts the disk position to the base plate and a stopper which is attached to rotating out of the shaft which prevents the rotating shaft to move.
In the prior art, when a thinner coin is used, the operating body is not operated, instead of it, a saw tooth is moved. Therefore the saw tooth has engaged with the operating body. In other words, the lifter doesn't protrude from the base plate. The distance between the base plate and the disk is small. Therefore the distance is adapted to the thinnest coin. Inversely, when the thickness is at the thickest extent, the operating body is operated. Therefore the handle of operating body is pivoted, then it is fixed at a predetermined position. As a result, the lifter protrudes from the base plate.
Therefore the distance between the base plate and the rotating disk increases, and it adapts to the thickness of the coin. In other words, the slanting surface of the saw tooth of the lifter which is stopped in the rotation is moved by the slanting surface of the saw tooth of the operating body. As a result, the lifter protrudes from the base plate.
On the other hand, the apparatus which is disclosed on Japanese Laid Open Patent 11-86066 is a smaller coin dispensing apparatus and includes a rotating disk for dispensing the coins one by one, a rotating shaft for rotating the rotating disk, a planetary gear train where the center axis is located on the center axis of the rotating shaft, a rotating shaft of a motor where the center axis is located on the center axis of the planetary gear train. Also, it includes a spacer for adjusting the position of the disk to the thickness of the coin.
In the apparatus, for adjusting the thickness of the coin, a spacer is added around the rotating shaft, and the gear section of the rotating shaft is inserted into the penetrating hole of the base plate. The gear section is inserted into the cylinder section of a carrying plate of the planetary gear train. When the thickness of the coin is thin, the spacer is removed, and the gear section of the rotating shaft is inserted into the cylinder section which passes through the penetrating hole of the base plate.
Therefore this apparatus can be adapted to the thickness of the coin by the spacer in as the same as the Japanese Laid Open Patent 11-96426 which adjusts the distance between the base plate and the rotating disk.
Also, the known apparatus include a stopper which has contact with the conical section of the rotating shaft and which prevents the removing of the rotating shaft.
In Japanese Laid Open Patent 11-86066 (FIGS. 3 and 4, paragraphs 10 and 11), when the distance is adjusted to the thickness of the coin, the spacer is changed to another spacer. Therefore the changing of the spacer is troublesome.
In Japanese Laid Open Patent 11-96426 (FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, paragraphs 15 and 16), the operating body and the stopper are removed from the positions. The operation is too troublesome. Also, the stopper has contact with the conical section and prevents the removing of the rotating shaft. In other words, the conical section includes a predetermined angle for preventing the removal of the rotating shaft. The rotating shaft needs a predetermined strength. In other words, the rotating shaft needs a predetermined diameter. Therefore the length of the conical section is limited. In other words, the adjusting range of the rotating disk is limited by the diameter of the rotating shaft and the angle of the conical section.